2025/06/05 《URBAN JUNGLE》 | 施博唯 ｘ小池一馬ｘChristopher Zenko

“Urban Jungle” is a metaphor for the hidden vitality of nature within city life and the dynamic, ever-shifting landscape of urban existence. Curated by TARTCH Deran Art, this exhibition draws inspiration from spring—inviting a dialogue between the city, memory, and art.

Featuring three artists from diverse cultural backgrounds—Kazuma Koike (Japan), Po-Wei Shih (Taiwan), and Christopher Zanko (Australia)—the exhibition explores the city as a multifaceted jungle through ceramics, wood carving, and mixed media. Each artist channels the spirit of spring—rebirth, renewal, and budding growth—infusing their work with the latent life force found within urban spaces.

Wandering through this exhibition is like strolling through a landscape where concrete and steel intertwine with blossoms and forgotten relics. It invites viewers to re-examine the symbiotic relationship between people and the city, contemplating the coexistence and tension between flora, fauna, architecture, and cultural symbols within modern urban life.

The "jungle" symbolizes the abundance of life, the unknown, and unexpected wonder, while the "city" is a complex weave of human order and chaos, a palimpsest of historical shifts. When the imagery of spring is interwoven, the city transforms into an ecosystem brimming with regeneration and possibility—flowers bloom on treetops, and delicate sprouts emerge through cracks in the pavement. Spring becomes not only a season but a metaphor for memory and cultural revival.

Representing the rich cultural convergence of Japan, Taiwan, and Australia, the three artists respond to their unique environments. Through material and form, they breathe spring’s vitality into the urban landscape, unveiling the poetry and permanence hidden within the everyday city.

Kazuma Koike’s hybrid vocabulary draws from Shintoism, South American mysticism, and European art history. With imagined relics such as large feline forms and pineapples, he reconstructs urban mythology, creating a surreal, timeless space.
Po-Wei Shih, rooted in Taiwan’s natural landscape and traditional woodcarving craftsmanship, evokes the resilience and hope of spring through tender plant motifs that guard the remnants of fallen structures.
Christopher Zanko reflects on suburban life in Australia, embedding botanical engravings into domestic scenes that honor the eternal presence of home.

Together, these three artists offer a cross-cultural language of renewal. Urban Jungle becomes a shared terrain where the universal pulse of nature reawakens within the city’s concrete skin.